October 13, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 13.10.2024, 18:57

NATO. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization begins its annual nuclear exercise on Monday, against the backdrop of increasingly frequent threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons in the context of the war in Ukraine. NATO sources mentioned, however, that the exercise is in no way a response to Moscow’s threats, given that such military maneuvers have been taking place annually for over a decade. 60 aircraft from 13 countries will participate in the operation, which will take place for 2 weeks in Belgium and the Netherlands. The approximately 2,000 soldiers taking part in the exercise will simulate missions in which NATO planes carry American nuclear warheads.

Corruption. The case of the former Liberal minister of health, Nelu Tătaru, a Liberal deputy, accused by the National Anticorruption Directorate of aggravated bribery, reaches the Bucharest Chamber of Deputies on Monday. The prosecutors requested the lifting of his parliamentary immunity to be able to start computer and home searches. The former minister has already lost his eligible place on the Liberal Party’s list for the parliamentary elections of December 1 and was also dismissed from the leadership of the Vaslui branch of the party, although he claims he is innocent. The anti-corruption prosecutors say that as a specialist doctor at the municipal hospital in Huşi, Nelu Tătaru would have received bribes of up to 100 euros and foodstuffs from several people, patients or relatives. Another 27 people are being investigated for bribery.

Elections. Romanians living or residing abroad can register to be able to vote by mail in the elections for the appointment of members of the Parliament in Bucharest by October 17. They can register on the website votstrainatate.ro, the Permanent Electoral Authority has announced. Registration for the presidential election ended on October 10. The first round of the presidential elections takes place on November 24, and the second on December 8. The general elections for the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies are scheduled for Romania’s National Day, on December 1.

DiscoverEU. There are only a few days left in which young people who have turned 18 or are turning 18 this year can sign up for a new round of the DiscoverEU program, which gives them the opportunity to explore Europe by traveling by train. Romania is allocated 1,475 travel permits out of the 35,000 offered by the European Commission. Those selected will be able to travel between March 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026, individually or in groups of up to five people, for a minimum of one day and a maximum of 30 days. They will also benefit from a card with over 40,000 discounts on public transport, access to cultural institutions, accommodation, food, sports and other available services. The entry period ends on October 16 at noon. All details are available on the European Youth Portal.

Moldova. The Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Romania, Victor Chirila, urged Moldovan citizens, including those who also have Romanian citizenship, to go to the polls on October 20, when presidential elections will be held in the former Soviet republic, with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population, as well as a referendum on for the inclusion in the Constitution, based on the vote of the population, of the country’s irreversible European course. On Saturday, Victor Chirila participated in the Moldovan Wine Festival, an event that has reached its 4th edition and which has brought together this weekend in Bucharest about 50 producers, with an impressive selection of award-winning and appreciated wines all over the world. Moldovan wine is exported to more than 65 countries and has been awarded with more than 6,500 medals in the last six years, more than half of them gold. Last year, Romania was the main export market for bottled wine from the Republic of Moldova, the data centralized by the Chisinau authorities showing an increase of approximately 20% in deliveries to the Romanian market.

Survey. Only 4% of Romanians see climate change as the most important current problem, in contrast to the concern for the cost of living and inflation, mentioned by 62% of the respondents, according to a research called “The State of the Climate – Romania 2024”. On the other hand, 37% consider that deforestation represents the most serious environmental issue, followed by household waste disposal, air pollution and depletion of natural resources. Half of those surveyed believe these changes are caused solely by humans, while 36 percent say they are caused equally by humans and natural processes.

Football. In the UEFA Nations League, the Romanian team continues its victorious journey. On Saturday evening it defeated the representative of Cyprus away from home, 3 – 0, in the 2nd Group of League C. It was Romania’s third victory in this campaign, after the one against Kosovo away from home (3-0) and Lithuania in Bucharest (3-1). Romania will play the next match against Lithuania, on Tuesday, in Kaunas. Romania is the leader in the group, with 9 points, followed by Kosovo with 6 points, Cyprus, 3 points, and Lithuania, 0 points. The 2024/25 Nations League will also have a direct effect on the European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. The best four group winners from the Nations League, excluding the teams that finished in the top two places in the qualifying groups, will participate in the play-off matches for WC 2026, along with all 12 second place teams from the classic preliminaries. Thus, there will be four play-offs, each with four teams, which will be contested in a semi-final-final system, and the last four European national teams participating in the World Cup will be determined from the USA, Mexico and Canada